Another bad news hits San Antonio Spurs: The head coach of the Padres shed tears as four of his star players made a final decision…

Another bad news hit the San Antonio Spurs: The head coach of the Padres shed tears as four of his star players made a final decision…

Multiple reports state that rookie Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs will not play against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.

According to Andrew Lopez of ESPN, the French star is still having trouble with tightness in his right hip. For Wembanyama, it will be the first game missed in his NBA career.

Wembanyama played despite being doubtful for Thursday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks because of a hip injury. Before he took the court, Spurs medical staff were observed keeping an eye on him during shootaround. In the 137–135 loss, he had a great game with 21 points, four blocks, two steals, and two assists. With 12 rebounds, he set the team record.

In the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, center Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs is sent to the bench.

Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs is out of action on Friday. (David Zalubowski/AP Photo)
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich stated following the defeat that the No. 1 overall pick’s status was unknown due to his general health. This loss brought San Antonio’s losing streak to 13 games.

We’re attempting to keep him safe. Tomorrow, he might not play,” Popovich stated on Thursday. “We’ll see how his hip came out of this one.”

Wembanyama has averaged 19.3 points and 9.7 rebounds in 18 games. With 2.7 blocks per game, the 7-foot-4 center leads the league.

He will have four full days off until the club plays its next game on Wednesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, which he missed the second half of a back-to-back.

After teams awarded more than US$1 billion in contracts on Monday, the Nashville Predators made the largest impression as the game began.

After gaining his rights over the weekend, the Tampa Bay Lightning signed valued winger Jake Guentzel to a seven-year, US$63-million contract, about three hours before players on expiring contracts went to market at 12 p.m. ET.

Zemgus Girgensons, a forward with the Buffalo Sabres, was later signed by the Lightning to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $850,000.

Meanwhile, Chris Tanev, a defenseman, signed a six-year, $27-million deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, securing his local playing opportunities.

These transactions served as the Stanley The 57-goal scorer Sam Reinhart of the Cup-winning Florida Panthers announced that he had signed an eight-year agreement worth an estimated $69 million.

Salary cap increases to $88 million for the upcoming season mark the first major increase since the COVID-19 pandemic devastated league finances, an increase of $4.5 million from 2023–2024.

The general market is “a lot of cash,” according to Leafs general manager Brad Treliving. It’s a competitive competition, and players are working to get better. ‘The cap’s going up,’ you hear constantly. Many of the agents told me about it.”

general manager of the Vancouver Canucks, Patrik Allvin, continued, “July 1 is an interesting day.” But today is also a dangerous one. I must admit that I was somewhat startled by a few of the deals.”

Three new players were added by the Predators.

Nashville agreed to After 16 seasons in Tampa, former Lightning captain Steven Stamkos signed a four-year, $32-million contract. Winger Jonathan Marchessault signed a five-year, $27.5-million contract. Defenseman Brady Skjei signed a seven-year, $49 million contract.

Goalie Juuse Saros was also signed by the Predators to an eight-year, $61.92-million contract that would start in 2025–2026.

The Canucks inked forward Danton Heinen to a two-year, $4.5 million contract and winger Jake DeBrusk to a seven-year, $38.5 million agreement.

The Seattle Kraken signed center Chandler Stephenson for seven seasons at $43.75 million and defenseman Brandon Montour for seven years at $49.98 million.

Not to be outdone by the Lightning, Panthers, and Leafs in the Atlantic, the Bruins signed center Elias Lindholm to a seven-season contract worth an estimated $54.25 million.

Nikita Zadorov, a defenseman, was also recruited by Boston, apparently on a $30 million, six-year contract.

By extending the contract of winger Juraj Slafkovsky for eight years at a cost of $60.8 million, starting in 2025–2026, the Montreal Canadiens showed their commitment to the future.

Sean Monahan, a center, signed a five-year, $27.5 million contract with the Blue Jackets.

Yegor Sharangovich, a winger, was re-signed by the Flames to a five-year, $28.75 million contract that starts in 2025–2026. Additionally, they signed two forwards: Ryan Lomberg for two years at a total cost of $4 million, and Anthony Mantha for one year at a cost of $3.5 million.

Craig Conroy, general manager of Calgary, stated, “Every team is in a different situation, depending on what they’re going for.” “Some teams are simply declaring that they are going to go all in and go for it at this point.

“In their situations, it probably made sense.”

The Meanwhile, the Ottawa Senators acquired fellow defenseman Nick Jensen in exchange for Jakob Chychrun, who is about to reach the end of his current contract, from the Washington Capitals.

Along with David Perron, the Senators inked him to a two-year contract worth an estimated $8 million. Viktor Arvidsson, another winger, was signed by the Edmonton Oilers for the same amount of money.

Blueliner Matt Roy of the Capitals inked a six-year, $34.5-million contract, while Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes inked an eight-year, $51.69 agreement that will start in 2025–2026.

On Monday, the Canes also signed defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere to a $9.6 million, three-year contract. During the previous season, the 31-year-old Gostisbehere scored 10 goals and totaled 56 points with the Detroit Red Wings.

Brett Pesce was added by the New Jersey Devils to their back end with a $33 million, six-year agreement.

The wingers Teuvo Teravainen (three years, $16 million), Tyler Bertuzzi (four years, $22 million), and Pat Maroon (one year, $1.3 million) were signed by the Chicago Blackhawks.

After trading defenseman Mikael Sergachev and winger Tanner Jeannot to free up more than $11 million in contract space, the Lightning acquired Guentzel’s rights from Carolina on Sunday for a 2025 third-round pick.

Guentzel responded, “The winning culture,” when asked what drew him to Tampa. “There were a lot of high-end players that really made it intriguing.”

Like with Guentzel’s move over the weekend, the Leafs were first in line to talk to Tanev when they negotiated a small deal for his rights on Saturday, just before the trade window opened at noon on Canada Day.

Additionally, Toronto signed Blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson at $4.75 million a season for four years.

“You try to build the bones of your roster through the draft, through trades,” said Treliving. “After that, when you reach free agency, you have the chance to bolster your team and occupy specific positions.

“There were several excellent players in the pool. Teams were observed acting aggressively.”

Conroy did, however, issue a warning, saying that some of the decisions will someday be regretted.

He remarked, “A lot of money was spent.” “July 1st has the potential to either positively or negatively impact things.

“There’s always a catch.”

with files from Donna Spencer in Calgary and Gemma Karstens-Smith in Vancouver.

The Canadian Press released this piece for the first time on July 1, 2024.